Greener Eats at Curtin

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Each year tens of thousands of Curtin students and staff consume more than 100,000 hot meals, one million espresso shots and close to 120,000 sushi packs.

The Curtin Student Guild, which runs most of the food outlets on campus, has made a commitment to introduce biodegradable products to all its outlets.

During the first phase of the initiative, the Guild is replacing its plastic take-away containers with carbon neutral packages made from sugarcane pulp, a renewable by-product of sugar refining. Plastic cutlery sets are being replaced with Forrest Stewardship Council certified Birchwood which is biodegradable and compostable and plastic straws are being phased out in favour of paper straws.

According to Curtin Student Guild President Liam O’Neill the introduction of green packaging is significant for all those who work and study at Curtin.

“We all have an obligation to manage our activities in a sustainable way and to minimise the environmental impact of our lifestyle, “he said.

Mr O’Neill said that the Guild’s “Greener Eats” strategy will take 12 months to complete.

Phase two of the program will launch over the next month with plastic cold drink cups replaced with bioplastic cups made from natural materials such as corn starch.

“We understand that the carbon footprint of these cups is 75% less than conventional plastics and on a campus of Curtin’s size that is a significant environmental win,” said Mr O’Neill.

The Guild will also replace its sushi trays and perhaps the biggest ticket item of all, coffee cups.

According to Mr O’Neill, the Guild’s food and beverage team have spent many months researching different products looking at how well they stand up under heat and cold temperatures and what sort of impact they had on the taste, texture and presentation of food.

“We are also exploring on site composting opportunities which would take our green strategy to the next level,” he said.